Labour candidate Geraint Davies has put jobs and services at the heart of his campaign for re-election.

He joined forces with First Minister Carwyn Jones in an attempt to win back the Swansea West seat and vowed to give the city a voice on both issues.

Speaking at the Phoenix Centre launch of his campaign in Townhill , Mr Davies said: “This election in Swansea West won’t decide who is Prime Minister. It will decide who will be the best MP to speak up for our city and to get the best deal for Swansea jobs and services.

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“25,000 jobs in Swansea Bay in exports to the EU are at risk if a large Tory majority in Westminster turns its back on the European market. These jobs provide the taxes to pay for our schools and hospitals, so lost jobs would mean cuts in public services and higher taxes.

“That’s why the Conservatives have abandoned their 2015 promises not to increase taxes and national insurance and will no longer protect pensioners’ incomes.

“I will support business confidence and more investment in Swansea and to protect our rights at work and environment in the years ahead.”

He added: “After years of Conservative delay we must build the Tidal Lagoon now to maximise the economic and environmental benefits. This is a new export technology and we need to move fast before others catch up.

“I secured the commitment to extend rail electrification to Swansea but now the Tories say it will arrive in Cardiff in 2019 and not in Swansea until 2024. I will work with industry to ensure Swansea rail electrification arrives sooner.

“My job as MP will be to deliver the Swansea £1.3 billion City Deal bigger, better and sooner. There is no time for delay and I am talking with new investors to deliver jobs and prosperity for Swansea around it.

“I will fight to ensure Severn Bridge tolls are minimised once the Bridge comes into public ownership. The tolls should not be a tax on the Welsh economy pocketed by the Conservative government then spent in London and the South East.

Shadow Secretary of State for Wales Christina Rees joins Swansea West Labour candidate Geraint Davies and supporters at The Uplands, Swansea.

“I oppose Tory plans for fracking in the Swansea Bay Region region. Fracking pollutes our water and air and is twice as harmful to climate change as coal. It puts our public health and environment at risk and if re-elected I pledge to be a Green Labour MP.”

Mr Davies said that if he retained his seat he would fight to ensure his Clean Air Bill went ahead, particularly as 40,000 people die a year from air pollution.

He underlined how vital it was that cleaner healthier transport was promoted by giving people better choices.

“It is a great pleasure that First Minister Carwyn Jones has come to launch my Swansea West campaign in Townhill,” he said.

“He knows that 70 per cent of Welsh exports are to the EU market so avoiding tariffs is crucial to Welsh jobs in Swansea and beyond in the negotiations with the EU.

“That’s why I intend to continue to be a strong voice for Swansea jobs amidst the EU negotiations in the difficult times ahead. If re-elected I would continue to be the only MP from Wales on the Council Of Europe.

“We must negotiate with charm not hostility and put our economy first. Getting on with your neighbours doesn’t consist of shouting abuse over the garden fence. If re-elected my job is to help build bridges for future prosperity and to stop the Conservatives burning them down and destroying Welsh jobs in negotiation.

“I’m for Swansea and from Swansea and am grateful for the warmth and friendship of people across our city in the seven years I’ve been the MP. Swansea is my home.

“It’s where my children go to school and where my mothers’ family has been for five generations.

“If re-elected I will always put the interests of the people of Swansea first. In contrast the Conservatives have chosen a candidate who is a councillor in Gloucestershire, who stood for a council seat in Bridgend in May and now wants to represent Swansea.

Shadow Secretary of State for Wales Christina Rees joins Swansea West Labour candidate Geraint Davies and supporters at The Uplands, Swansea

“I will be standing on my record for and from Swansea West and hope to be given the confidence of all our communities to be re-elected to give them a strong voice at home in Swansea and in Parliament

“Carwyn Jones made clear we cannot allow the Conservatives to walk all over Wales and sacrifice our jobs and services in Brexit negotiations. There’s a lot at stake for Swansea families who should vote Welsh Labour as the best protection against tough times ahead.”

Mr Davies claimed it was a “two-horse race” between Labour and the Conservatives and said voters were now becoming “more sympathetic” towards Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn following the leak of his manifesto pledges.

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A Conservative party spokeswoman said: “Geraint Davies is absolutely right – Swansea West is a two-horse race between the strong and stable leadership of Theresa May and her Conservative team, or the shambles of Jeremy Corbyn propped up by a hotchpotch of parties in a hung Parliament.

“Ordinary people in Swansea West will be the ones who pay for the chaos of Corbyn. He doesn’t have what it takes to lead our country through Brexit and beyond, putting all of our security at risk.”

Also standing for election in the Swansea West constituency are: Rhydian Fitter (plaid Cymru), Brian Johnson (The Socialist Party of Great Britain), Michael O’Carroll (Welsh Liberal Democrats), and Mike Whittall (Wales Green Party).